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Softball Shuts Out Hofstra, 4-0

STANFORD , Calif. - Top-seeded Stanford jumped out to an early lead and Dana Sorensen pitched six shutout innings as the Cardinal defeated sixth-seeded Hofstra 4-0 in the third game of the NCAA Regional at Stanford's Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The Cardinal improves to 49-13-1 while the Pride falls to 36-25. Hofstra will play BYU in the next game today. Stanford is next in action on Friday against the winner of a game on Friday morning.

The Cardinal put one run on the board in the bottom of the first. Robin Walker led off with a base hit to the left side and Sarah Beeson's single up the middle scored Walker for a 1-0 Stanford lead.

Stanford added another run in the third, again it was Walker and Beeson in the action. Walker picked up her second hit of the game, and Beeson brought her home with a double to the left centerfield gap for a 2-0 Cardinal lead.

The lead was extended in the fifth. Jenni Shideler and pinch hitter Maureen LeCocq hit consecutive singles to lead off the inning. Then Jessica Mendoza roped a double off the centerfield fence to score both runners for a 4-0 Stanford lead.

In the circle for the Cardinal, Sorensen started and pitched six shutout innings. She gave up just two hits while striking out four and walking one. Sorensen improves to 23-3 with the win. Nyberg pitched the seventh inning and had two strikeouts.

Hofstra used three pitchers in the game. Starter Shannon Luther took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings. She gave up four runs on six hits in falling to 18-14. Kelly Blois and Alexis Alcantara pitched the rest of the game and held the Cardinal scoreless.

Walker and Beeson each had two hits for Stanford, while Beeson and Mendoza each had two RBI.

This is the first time Stanford has won its first round Regional game. In its previous three postseason appearances, the Cardinal lost its opening game each year.